The money clauses
Start with the rent, the due date, the grace period and the late fee, and confirm the fee is a stated amount and not left to the landlord's discretion. Then hunt for every recurring charge that sits outside the rent: parking, pet rent, trash, an amenity fee, a monthly utility billing charge. Add them together, because that total is your real rent. Note which utilities go in your name and whether the online payment portal charges a fee.
Term, renewal and getting out
The lease names a start date and an end date, and the important sentence is the one about what happens next. Some leases roll to month-to-month. Others renew automatically for a full term unless you give written notice 30, 60 or even 90 days before the end. Put that notice date in your calendar on the day you sign.
Look next for an early termination clause. A typical buyout is two months' rent with 60 days' notice. Without one, you generally owe rent until the unit is rented again, although many states require the landlord to make a reasonable effort to re-rent it. Subletting almost always needs the landlord's written consent.
The clauses about living there
- Joint and several liability means each roommate owes the entire rent, so the landlord may pursue you alone for a vanished roommate's share.
- The entry clause should require notice, commonly 24 hours, except in an emergency.
- The repairs clause tells you how to report a problem and who handles pests, appliances, the yard and snow.
- Guest limits often cap a visitor's stay at around 14 days.
- The alterations clause decides whether you may paint, mount a television or change a lock.
- Many leases now require renters insurance and proof of it.
Before you sign
Ask for every addendum and the building's rules, since they are part of the contract. Blank spaces should be filled in or struck through. Anything promised during the tour, whether new carpet, a parking space or a waived fee, belongs in a written addendum signed by both sides. A clause that contradicts state law, such as one waiving your right to a habitable home, is generally unenforceable. Your state's landlord-tenant handbook, usually published by the attorney general or the housing agency, explains the local rules in plain language.
Tip Keep a signed copy of the full lease, with addenda, where you can find it in two minutes. Most disputes end when one party can quote the page.
